Customising Hints, Tips and FAQs

[tyrantqueen]

I had two Ivicta Brachiosaurs so i decided to paint one of them, However after pinting on a base color for one week, i got side tracked with school.   



when i finally made it back to painting it, the old paint came off like rubber.... so i just scrapped the idea and washed it off in the shower

I decided to just store it away afterwards

I used an acrylic Enamel type paint BTW

Umm, paints can't be both acrylic AND enamel. Acrylic and enamel are both two different kinds of paint, much like gouache, oil, watercolour etc. So I'm a bit confused there
Nonetheless thanks for sharing your experience Takama, it seems like it will be a good idea to use some primer for this project

[ajax]

I had two Ivicta Brachiosaurs so i decided to paint one of them, However after pinting on a base color for one week, i got side tracked with school.   



when i finally made it back to painting it, the old paint came off like rubber.... so i just scrapped the idea and washed it off in the shower

I decided to just store it away afterwards

I used an acrylic Enamel type paint BTW

Umm, paints can't be both acrylic AND enamel. Acrylic and enamel are both two different kinds of paint, much like gouache, oil, watercolour etc. So I'm a bit confused there
Nonetheless thanks for sharing your experience Takama, it seems like it will be a good idea to use some primer for this project

I painted mine with acrylic paint and had no problem. Paint has been on now for almost 3 years.

[EmperorDinobot]

So can I ask questions?

I need to build several new pieces for several animals, namely Chap Mei dinosaurs. I wish to elongate some of their tails. I'm sure the same advice can apply to Roadbuster (A transformer), whom I want to build detail parts for. These are small parts, like detailings and outside motor parts...The tails, however, for the animals should be somewhat flexible and rubbery. I'm good at sculpting crud. What do you recommend? I'm looking for a rubbery, easily sculptable material that will retain a somewhat rubbery and flexible texture when finished (Think JP dinosaurs).

[tyrantqueen]

Don't use any epoxy clays then. They tend to dry rock hard. Hows about latex putty? The only problem is that you prolly have to put it in the oven to bake it...

[Megalosaurus]

Hi pals.  *orthocone*

I've just finished painting a figure with acrylics.

I own a pot of vanish for acrylic paints that is intended to be applied with brushes. It has a milky-white colour, but it dryes transparent. It's somehow thicker than schoolar white glue.

Should i made it thinner adding water or another solvent? Or is it advisable to apply it as is?

The varnish pot hasn't any instructions on it.

Also, how long must i wait before apply the varnish?

Thanks.

[Primeval12]

 I used to play with my primeval raptor and alot of the quills fell off the head and
neck What can I do to replace them?

[Jetoar]

I would like to buy this clay but I not have found it in shops. I will look for again.

[tyrantqueen]

Jetoar, are you talking about the latex putty I posted earlier in the thread?

You could try Sugru...it is a type of sillicone putty that is known for its ability to dry very rubbery and plastic like. In fact, it would probably be perfect for what you're trying to achieve.





http://www.tiranti.co.uk/EdgeImpactShop/subcatdivision.php?Division=562&Content=Sugru+

The only problem is I am not 100% sure about painting it :X

[Jetoar]

Jetoar, are you talking about the latex putty I posted earlier in the thread?

You could try Sugru...it is a type of sillicone putty that is known for its ability to dry very rubbery and plastic like. In fact, it would probably be perfect for what you're trying to achieve.





http://www.tiranti.co.uk/EdgeImpactShop/subcatdivision.php?Division=562&Content=Sugru+

The only problem is I am not 100% sure about painting it :X

Thanks Tyrantqueen  . I will look for this clay in my country. I hope that I will have luck  .

[GrownNerd]

Sugru can't be painted because it's silicone. There are other silicone based putties out there, like Resilpom, and none of them can be painted with acrylics or enamel or paints available to artists and hobbyists. You'd have to have special paint made specifically for silicone which are used in some industrial applications and sometimes in movie special effects models (but I've heard from a guy who used to work as an effects maker and he said they have to touch up the paint constantly because it rubs off the silicone skin easily).



On EmperorDinobot's question about a flexible sculpting compound:

I'm assuming that you want the elongated tail to be flexible because you want to be able to pose it bent and then repose it bent in a different way, rather than just a rubbery feeling tail that just springs back to original position. There's not really any sculpting compound that will cure flexible enough at the thickness needed for a toy dinosaur's tail. Durability is an issue as well and the polymer clays that are supposed to cure flexible won't hold up to much play as well as not being flexible enough at the thickness required.

The closest I've come to a durable and flexible when cured sculpting compound is something I've made by mixing the yellow part of Kneadatite's Green Stuff with the B-portion of Aves Apoxie Sculpt. It cures very flexible if the sculpted piece is very thin, as in paper thin or making small locks of flying hair on a 6" tall human figure, but when it gets past 1/4" thick the thickness hinders the flexibility and it won't be flexible enough as a dinosaur tail. Plus it's pretty hard to sculpt surface detail with with since it's very sticky. 

Toy companies make posable bendy plastic toys by embedding a wire and then injection molding the toy around it. You can try to mimic this for your needs but it'd be pretty involved. There are urethane based casting resins that can be almost as flexible as silicone, but unlike silicone, can be painted with acrylics. I haven't actually done this and am just theorizing, but my thought is to try casting a sculpted tail with a flexible compound and use a bendy wire embedded within as to enable forcing the tail to bend and be repositionable. You'd have to figure out a way of sculpting the tail, then molding that sculpt and casting it with the bendy wire embedded during the casting process, then figure out a way to attach the finished cast to the existing dinosaur without showing any seams.

[Jetoar]

Thanks friends  .

[tyrantqueen]

Hi,
I bought a bottle of Vallejo Game Colour Charred Brown. According to Vallejo's paint chart, this is a very dark brown, which is the reason I bought it in the first place. It seemed ok when I first got it a few months back, but since using it, the colour has, strangely enough, changed to a reddish brown. How can this be? Am I not shaking the bottle enough....?

[Himmapaan]

Possibly. Or the darker pigments may have settled and become too compacted to be thoroughly mixed even after shaking. 

[tyrantqueen]

Possibly. Or the darker pigments may have settled and become too compacted to be thoroughly mixed even after shaking. 

If that's the case, should I throw it away? I can't believe it, this paint is only a few months old. I guess it's a downside to using these hobby paints.

[Himmapaan]

If there is still usable paint remaining, perhaps keep it in case you can use it for something else, or to mix with. It is a shame.

[Ikessauro]

Great topic you guys built here. I never paid attention untill today, but now I'm inclined to start painting... I'll check the art supply stores around to see what I can find. Got a lot of chinasaurs to practice.

[paleoferroequine]

Possibly. Or the darker pigments may have settled and become too compacted to be thoroughly mixed even after shaking. 

If that's the case, should I throw it away? I can't believe it, this paint is only a few months old. I guess it's a downside to using these hobby paints.

You might thoroughly stir it with a small stick like the other end of the paintbrush or something similar.  They do settle, all paints not in tubes do.  But not a big deal, chances are if it is stirred it will be the original colour.  I sometimes put a BB or small ball bearing in the bottle.  That way it mixes better when you shake it.  Don't throw it away if it's still thin enough to paint with, even if it's a different shade now. 

[Himmapaan]

Oh, yes, I quite neglected to think that the cap could be opened for that purpose, ha!  *Slaps forehead*

[tyrantqueen]

Possibly. Or the darker pigments may have settled and become too compacted to be thoroughly mixed even after shaking. 

If that's the case, should I throw it away? I can't believe it, this paint is only a few months old. I guess it's a downside to using these hobby paints.

You might thoroughly stir it with a small stick like the other end of the paintbrush or something similar.  They do settle, all paints not in tubes do.  But not a big deal, chances are if it is stirred it will be the original colour.  I sometimes put a BB or small ball bearing in the bottle.  That way it mixes better when you shake it.  Don't throw it away if it's still thin enough to paint with, even if it's a different shade now. 

Thanks

[ZoPteryx]

If I wanted to modify a Papo dinosaur, would cheapy air-dry clay be okay?  I can't seem to find sculptable epoxy at any local craft shops.